Reciprocating jaw jar wrench



May 16, 1950 s. E. JESSUP RECIPROCATING JAW JAR WRENCH Filed May 8, 1946Patented May 16, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in reciprocable jaw jar wrench andmore particularly to that type which is adapted to either remove ortighten screw top lids on jars, bottles, etc.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a hand operable wrenchwhich is readily applicable for household or other use and by whichscrew covers of any ordinary diameter for use on bottles, jars and othercontainers can be easily and quickly unscrewed or tightened withoutdanger of breaking the container to which it is applied or injuring thehands of the user.

Among further objects are maximum simplicity and strength ofconstruction, ready adaptability to screw covers of various sizes anddesigns, increased effectiveness in use and adaptability for inexpensivemanufacture.

With these and other objects in view my invention comprises the featuresof construction and combination of parts hereinafter described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Fig. 1is a plan looking at the top side of my improved reciprocable jaw jarwrench; Fig. 2 is another plan looking at the opposite side of thestructure shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an edge View of a portion of thestructure shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a portion of the body being shown inlongitudinal section taken on the line 3-4-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is atransverse section taken through the body It on the line i of Fig. 1,and Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the actuating lever D, taken onthe line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The character A indicates upon the drawing a main handle or actuatingbar which resembles a long, flat and relatively thin piece of metal orother suitable material, having on its work end portion ii a serratededge ill. Arranged adjacent to the handle or power end portion l2 ofmember A is a movable power gripping jaw member B and in opposedrelation thereto on the work end portion H a selectively positioned jawmember C. These jaw members B and C resemble gripping yokes havingrespectively inwardly facing cooperating curved serrated edge portionsi3 and Hi which are adapted to tightly engage the side edge portion ofthe top end of a screw jaw or bottle cover of a container when the coveris applied or removed. The broken circular line i5 shown in Fig. 1, forillustration, indicates diagrammatically the marginal outline of a jaror bottle cover which is engaged by the cooperating pair of jaws B andC.

The gripping jaw member B has a body portion it which is passagedlongitudinally at H to permit the jaw member sliding longitudinally onthe handle bar. A jaw member resembling a yoke I8 is formed as anintegral part of the body member. This yoke has the serrated edge isabove described. The serrated edge portion of the yoke slants downwardlyaway from the adjacent side of the main handle bar so as to engage theside of a screw cover above its thread. In this manner clearance isprovided for the handle bar above the cover to which the device isapplied. The body portion It has a longitudinal guide passageway l9 onits upper side (Fig. 3), in which a helical expansion spring 20 isretained between a fixed lug or stop 2| (Fig. 3), on the handle bar anda flange or stop 22 on the rearward end portion of said passageway. Ahand operating cam lever D is pivoted at 23 on the lower side of thehandle bar so that the lever can be swung by its power end 24 inwardlyand outwardly in relation to the handle l2. In the expanded position ofjaw member B under the influence of spring 20, cam lever D is held inoutstanding position as shown in Fig. l by the flat shoulder edge of thecam surface 25 bearing against the work end of the lever D. When lever Dis swung inwardly upon the handle bar by its power end the cam surface25 forces the jaw against the tension of spring 20 with its serratededge into tight gripping engagement with the cover of the container towhich the device is applied. The longitudinal outer shoulder edge 26 ofthe cam lever functions as a hand grip and a stop against which theadjacent side edge of the hand grip end portion 12 of the handle bar Aabuts to limit the inward swinging movement of the cam lever. Thisshoulder 26 also forms a broad gripping surface for the hand of theuser.

While I have shown and described a lug or stop 2! on the handle bar anda flange or stop 22 on the housing, between which the expansion spring26 functions, it is to be understood that the specific construction issubject to equivalent modification within the scope of the invention asset forth herein.

The adjustable jaw member 0 has a body portion 30 somewhat similar tothe body portion [6 of member B, said body portion being passagedlongitudinally at 3| to permit jaw member C being selectively positionedlongitudinally on the work end portion of handle bar A. A forwardlyextending yoke member 32 is formed as an integral part of the bodymember. This yoke has the serrated edge l4 above described. The serratededge portion of the yoke slants downwardly to correspond with theportion I 8 and engage the 3 upper side portion of the container coverto which the device is applied, preferably above the threaded portionthereof to also afford clearance of the handle bar above the cover.Seated in one side of the body portion 30 is an angular pawl 33 which ispivoted to swing freely upon the pin 34. The pawl lock arm 35 of thispawl is serrated at 36 to either engage the serrations of the handle barA and hold jawmember C in fixed. outward position, or when' disengagedbyJdepreSSing ahand piece 31 on the power arm 38 to release said pawllock arm. A helical expansion spring 39 seated.

in the body portion 39 and normally exerting pressure against the pawllockann 3'5itends'ito hold the pawl in engagement with. th bar butpermits the pawl lock arm 35 to sweep over the serrations in when thefixed jawzmemben-C; is adjusted towards jaw member B into selectedoperative position against the side and above the threaded cover to beremoved from or tightened upon" a container.

The adjustment of the jaw member G" into" selected' fixed positiononthehandle bar A increa'ses the range of adjustment for application ofthe wrench tocoversof different diameters ranging from smallcovers onbottles to large covers onjars. Duetothe gripping action throughleverage andhard pressure applied by thecam arm- D relative tothejawmember G substantially'noslippage occurs and a cover to which thedevi'ceis applied and which tends to stick can be easily removed;

My improved recipro'cabledaw jar wrench en'- ablesthe user to'apply andtighten covers on jars during canning or other operationsso-as'toholdthe jars without causing the hands of an operator to contact the hotmetal of the covers. Ease of adjustment of the selectively positionedjawmember C 'andthe shape of the jaw mem-- bers enables the device" tobeeasily applied to covers of various diameters and-designs: The spring20 returns the hand griplever arm andclamping jaw into released positionautomatically ready for the clamping jaw member B to bereappliedforsuccessive use. Ali'-ofthe-mechanical motions afforded by'the-device-are in thedirection of operation and si'mple in construction.The device is serviceable for general householduse and isof lightweightconstruction. Tendency to damage the covers to'whichthe-deviceis'appliedlis reduced to a mi'n imum. All'of these'fea-- turesare. attained by my improved constructionandareparticularlyadvantageous. Theycooperate'sothatthedevice can be. held andoperated by one hand while the jar or container to thecover of: which itis applied is held securelyby the other hand;

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principlesof operation of my invention together with the construction thereofwhich I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof but Idesire to have it understood that the construction shown is onlyillustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other meansand applied to uses other than those above setlforth withinthe spiritthereof and, the scope of the following-:claima I claim:

A screw cover wrench, comprising a flat handle bar having rack teeth onone longitudinal edge, an abutment-jawmember movable longitudinally onsaidbar and in cooperative engagement with said rack teeth, a companionjaw member havingt aflat' transverse yoke plate formed with aheelportion at one end and an outstanding screw cover engagingserratededge portion at the other end, said companion jaw memberincluding a housing slidably mounted upon and embracing said handlebarwith the-serrated edge portion directed towardsaid abutment jaw member;an actuating lever pivotally' secured near oneend on said bar and havinga substantially flat cam surface on its work end engaging against saidheel and by which the companion jaw memberis adapted in cooperation withsaid abutment jaw-member to securely'engage'ascrew cover on a jar'orbottle when the free end portion of said actuating lever is swungagainst the handlebar,

and an expansionspringwithin said housing andengagedlongitudinallybetween the housing and an abutmentstop on said handle barby which *lework applying jaw memberand its actuating lever arereturnedautomatically into normal biased position when said actuating leverisreleased;

SELLERS'E. JESSU'P;

REFERENCES CITED The follbwingrefterences are of. record. in the file of'this. patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 936,927 McCallum Oct. 12, 1909.-998,014 Kingsley July 18; 1911.

1,227,738 Bellis'et al; May-29, 1917 1,394,033- McLeod-e1: a1. Oct. 18,1921 1,396,867 Miller- Nov. 15,1921 1,967,960 McNemar July 24; 1934'2,052,641 McCready Sept. 1', 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number- Country Date47 ,384 Sweden Jan. 31, 1918

